This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

Games available in most casinos are commonly called casino games. In a casino game, the players gamble casino chips on various possible random outcomes or combinations of outcomes. Casino games are available in online casinos, where permitted by law.^{[citation needed]} Casino games can also be played outside of casinos for entertainment purposes, some on machines that simulate gambling.

Categories of casino games[link]

There are three general categories of casino games: table games, electronic gaming machines, and random number ticket games such as Keno and simulated racing. Gaming machines, such as slot machines and pachinko, are usually played by one player at a time and do not require the involvement of casino employees to play. Random number games are based upon the selection of random numbers, either from a computerized random number generator or from other gaming equipment. Random number games may be played at a table, such as roulette, or through the purchase of paper tickets or cards, such as keno or bingo.

Common table games[link]

Common non-table games[link]

Gaming machines[link]

• Pachinko
• Slot machine
• Video Lottery Terminal
• Video poker

Random numbers[link]

• Bingo
• Keno

House advantage[link]

Casino games generally provide a predictable long-term advantage to the casino, or "house", while offering the player the possibility of a large short-term payout. Some casino games have a skill element, where the player makes decisions; such games are called "random with a tactical element". While it is possible through skillful play to minimize the house advantage, it is extremely rare that a player has sufficient skill to completely eliminate his inherent long-term disadvantage (the house edge (HE) or house vigorish) in a casino game. Such a skill set would involve years of training, an extraordinary memory and numeracy, and/or acute visual or even aural observation, as in the case of wheel clocking in Roulette.

The player's disadvantage is a result of the casino not paying winning wagers according to the game's "true odds", which are the payouts that would be expected considering the odds of a wager either winning or losing. For example, if a game is played by wagering on the number that would result from the roll of one die, true odds would be 5 times the amount wagered since there is a 1 in 6 chance of any single number appearing, assuming that you get the original amount wagered back. However, the casino may only pay 4 times the amount wagered for a winning wager.

The house edge or vigorish is defined as the casino profit expressed as a percentage of the player's original bet. (In games such as Blackjack or Spanish 21, the final bet may be several times the original bet, if the player double and splits.)

Example: In American Roulette, there are two zeroes and 36 non-zero numbers (18 red and 18 black). If a player bets 1 unit on red, his chance of winning 1 unit is therefore 18/38 and his chance of losing 1 unit (or winning -1) is 20/38.

The player's expected value, EV = (18/38 x 1) + (20/38 x -1) = 18/38 - 20/38 = -2/38 = -5.26%. Therefore, the house edge is 5.26%. After 10 rounds, play 1 per round, the average house profit will be 10 x 1 x 5.26% = 0.53. Of course, it is not possible for the casino to win exactly 53 cents; this figure is the average casino profit from each player if it had millions of players each betting 10 rounds at 1 unit per round.

The house edge of casino games vary greatly with the game. Keno can have house edges up to 25%, slot machines can have up to 15%, while most Australian Pontoon games have house edges between 0.3% and 0.4%.

The calculation of the Roulette house edge was a trivial exercise; for other games, this is not usually the case. Combinatorial analysis and/or computer simulation is necessary to complete the task.

In games which have a skill element, such as Blackjack or Spanish 21, the house edge is defined as the house advantage from optimal play (without the use of advanced techniques such as card counting), on the first hand of the shoe (the container that holds the cards). The set of the optimal plays for all possible hands is known as "basic strategy" and is highly dependent on the specific rules, and even the number of decks used. Good Blackjack and Spanish 21 games have house edges below 0.5%.

Standard deviation[link]

The luck factor in a casino game is quantified using standard deviations (SD). The standard deviation of a simple game like Roulette can be calculated using the binomial distribution. In the binomial distribution, SD = sqrt (npq ), where n = number of rounds played, p = probability of winning, and q = probability of losing. The binomial distribution assumes a result of 1 unit for a win, and 0 units for a loss, rather than -1 units for a loss, which doubles the range of possible outcomes. Furthermore, if we flat bet at 10 units per round instead of 1 unit, the range of possible outcomes increases 10 fold.

SD (Roulette, even-money bet) = 2b sqrt(npq ), where b = flat bet per round, n = number of rounds, p = 18/38, and q = 20/38.

For example, after 10 rounds at 1 unit per round, the standard deviation will be 2 x 1 x sqrt(10 x 18/38 x 20/38) = 3.16 units. After 10 rounds, the expected loss will be 10 x 1 x 5.26% = 0.53. As you can see, standard deviation is many times the magnitude of the expected loss.

The standard deviation for Pai Gow poker is the lowest out of all common casinos. Many, particularly slots, have extremely high standard deviations. As the size of the potential payouts increase, so does the standard deviation.

As the number of rounds increases, eventually, the expected loss will exceed the standard deviation, many times over. From the formula, we can see the standard deviation is proportional to the square root of the number of rounds played, while the expected loss is proportional to the number of rounds played. As the number of rounds increases, the expected loss increases at a much faster rate. This is why it is impossible for a gambler to win in the long term. It is the high ratio of short-term standard deviation to expected loss that fools gamblers into thinking that they can win.

It is important for a casino to know both the house edge and variance for all of their games. The house edge tells them what kind of profit they will make as percentage of turnover, and the variance tells them how much they need in the way of cash reserves. The mathematicians and computer programmers that do this kind of work are called gaming mathematicians and gaming analysts. Casinos do not have in-house expertise in this field, so outsource their requirements to experts in the gaming analysis field.

See also[link]

• Gambler's fallacy

John Grochowski (born c. 1952) is a gambling columnist and author. His weekly newspaper column began at the Chicago Sun-Times and is now syndicated nationally. He published his first gambling book in 1996 entitled Gaming: Cruising the Casino with a Syndicated Gambling Columnist. He then began a series of books all aimed at answering questions about a specific topic or game. The 1998 book The Casino Answer Book explained the basics of casino gambling for beginners. His other books include The Video Poker Answer Book 2000, The Craps Answer Book 2001 and The Slot Machine Answer Book 2005.

The author also contributes articles to magazines and internet publications. His articles can be found online at the Casino City Times website and in a number of magazines including Casino Player, Strictly Slots, Southern Gaming and Destinations and Midwest Gaming & Travel magazines for players. He also writes for a number of industry publications, including Casino Journal and Slot Manager magazines.

The author also has gone into broadcasting. His one-minute "Casino Answer Man" tips began airing on news-talk WLS-AM (890) in Chicago in July 2010. Before that, he did one-minute "Beat the Odds tips" on all-news WBBM-AM (780) and a one-hour Casino Answer Man talk show on WCKG-FM (105.9), both in Chicago. The WBBM spots aired from May 2005 through June 2010. The WCKG-FM talk show made its debut in February 2006, and last aired Oct. 28, 2007. It was canceled when the station changed formats.

Grochowski has been featured on three Travel Channel specials, Las Vegas: What Would You Do If ..., Vegas: What's New 2005 and Vegas: What's New 2006. He also had a moment in the limelight as a game show contestant, winning $125,000 in July 2000 on ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Regis Philbin.

Grochowski was born in 1952 in Aurora, Illinois, and grew up in the western Chicago suburb of Lisle. The eldest of five children, he graduated from Lisle High School in 1970, then attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. While at the University of Illinois, Grochowski joined the staff of the student newspaper, the Daily Illini, and served one year as its sports editor.

He then pursued a newspaper career, first working as a sportswriter for the Suburban Trib in Hinsdale, Illinois. From there, he moved to the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph in Colorado Springs, Colorado, before returning to Illinois as a sports copy editor for the News-Sun in Waukegan, Illinois. In 1982, he was hired as a copy editor by the Chicago Sun-Times, and it was there he started writing about casinos and casino games with a weekly column starting in 1994.

External links[link]

• Official site
• Casino City Times articles
• Video Poker 365 profile
• Chicago Sun-Times articles

For Real was an American R&B and soul quartet, that formed in 1993.^[1] In the latter part of that decade they were nominated for a Grammy, Billboard Music Award, and Soul Train Music Award.

Biography[link]

For Real secured their recording contract by accident. "We were picking up our manager from the airport. So we decided to greet him with an acappella song. Someone from A&M Records just happened to be in the airport and heard them perform. Not long after, they were signed," said Latanyia Baldwin.^[2]

The band released their debut album, It's a Natural Thang, with production from Brian McKnight on A&M Records in 1994, and it became a critical success, including a rare four stars from Rolling Stone magazine.^[3] Their first single, "You Don't Wanna Miss" hit #28 on the Billboard chart, courtesy of a danceable new jack swing remix by Steve "Silk" Hurley, which was featured in the song's video. A second single, "Easy to Love", peaked at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album scored another chart hit with the a cappella love song, "You Don't Know Nothin'", which was written and produced by Mervyn Warren, and which peaked at #27. The song peaked at #54 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1995.^[4] The album sold over one million copies worldwide, and peaked at #80 on the Billboard 200.

In 1995, the band appeared in Italian Vogue, modeling men's suits. They toured alongside Stevie Wonder,^[5] and lent their voices to the Martin Scorsese film project Grace of My Heart. The foursome also forayed into acting with appearances in the film Shake, Rattle and Rock! starring Renée Zellweger and Howie Mandel^[6] on Showtime.

They also hit the US Top 20 with the single "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" featuring Aaliyah, TLC, En Vogue, BlackGirl, SWV, and Vanessa Williams from the film Panther. They also recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder called "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", which appeared on the Marvin Gaye tribute album, Inner City Blues: The Music of Marvin Gaye.^[7] For Real also recorded songs for the soundtracks of the films Waiting to Exhale and Fled.

After a label change from A&M to Dallas Austin's Arista imprint Rowdy Records in 1996, For Real struck again with the Austin-produced, 60s-leaning single "Like I Do", from their second album Free. "Like I Do" hit #10 on the Billboard singles chart. The video also earned a Billboard nomination for Best R&B Clip; the album made the Top 100, and sold nearly 400,000 copies in the US. The album's next and last single was the Diane Warren-penned pop ballad "The Saddest Song I Ever Heard" which hit #65 on the Top 100 singles chart. The band performed "Saddest Song" on the TV series All That. Free included production from top R&B/pop producers like Babyface, Mario Winans, and Jon B..

The band also recorded three songs ("I Do", "Born to Love That Boy" and "Unwanted Number") and appeared in the critically acclaimed film Grace of My Heart. The film's soundstrack won a Satellite Award in 1997.^[9][10]

In January 1997, the band won an American Music Award for their work on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack, in Summer 1997, the group earned a Soul Train Award nomination for Album of the Year (By a Group, Band or Duo) for Free.

In 1999, Wendi Williams lent her voice to the Emmy-winning film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge with Halle Berry, in which Berry plays a singer but Williams is behind her singing voice.^[11]

In 2002, their song "Love Will Be Waiting at Home" appeared in the film Two Can Play That Game, which starred Vivica A. Fox and Morris Chestnut.

In 2009, CoryLavel began to work with Josina Elder on her new album.

Discography[link]

• It's a Natural Thang (1994)
• Free (1996)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• SingingFool.com Streaming music videos for "Like I Do" and "The Saddest Song I Ever Heard"
• Allmusic^{[dead link]} Discography, biographies, and pictures
• IUMA Group photos, lyrics, message board, audio streams, and biography
• Google Album info, photos, and lyrics

This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. (December 2011)

Agent 47 (often referred to as 47 or Mr. 47) is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the Hitman video-game series. Created by IO Interactive, the character was developed around David Bateson, who also provided the in-game voice. 47 has appeared in all four installments of the Hitman series, in the novel Hitman: Enemy Within, as well as the film adaptation in which he was dramatized by Timothy Olyphant. A genetically-enhanced bald clone trained to assassinate targets, the agent's name is derived from the last two digits of his assigned barcode which is tattooed on the back of his head, reading 640509-040147.

Character design[link]

According to Jacob Andersen, lead designer of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Agent 47 went from being "a mean old hairy guy" to having "hi-tech glasses" before getting to his current bald design.^[1] More inspiration came from "comic books, Hong Kong movies," and other similar media.^[2]

According to Game Director Rasmus Højengaard, the idea of a clone whose future is decided by the people that created him, intrigued the Hitman team.^[2] Højengaard felt the idea of creating the "ultimate assassin" by cloning "evolved with the character before the first Hitman game was done".^[2]

47 is modeled after David Bateson, the veteran actor who has voiced 47 in every Hitman game, until he was dropped from Hitman: Absolution. It is currently unknown who his current voice actor is.

In video games[link]

Appearance[link]

Agent 47 is portrayed as a hired gunman working for the International Contract Agency. According to the storyline of the video-games and the film, he can speak French, English and Russian fluently. He is usually depicted in his usual attire of an Italian black suit, black leather gloves, white striped dress shirt and red tie. Alternative costumes are rarely seen; however, in Codename: 47, he is seen wearing guerrilla camouflage in the jungle, while in Silent Assassin he wears a protective parka in the Japanese mountains and a blue turban in the Middle East. In a reversal of the norm, 47 wears an entirely white suit and white gloves at the end of Blood Money at his own funeral. 47 often uses a pair of customized AMT Hardballers, dubbed "Ballers" in Silent Assassin (however they still contain the hardballer logos on the slide) and "Silverballers" in Hitman: Contracts as well as subsequent games. After Contracts, the Hitman symbol replaces the hardballer logos. In the first game, the pair of hardballers were uncustomised.

47's Barcode as based on images from Dr. Ort-Meyer's journal.

47 is completely bald; the only visible hair on his body are his eyebrows, which are brown. His skin is very pale and he has blue eyes.

47's most recognizable feature, at least to the viewers, is a barcode that is prominently tattooed on the back of his head, which lists his date of creation and series identification number (640509-040147). 47's barcode tattoo identifies him among the other clones and acts as a security key to access Dr. Ort-Meyer's laboratory. 47's barcode is implied to be in Code 39; according to Dr. Ort-Meyer's journal, the barcode was added to the tattoo in 1975, one year after the code was developed. Curiously, the characters in the games appear oblivious to the tattoo, including newspaper descriptions of 47 in Blood Money failing to mention it.

Character history[link]

In the Hitman game series and the Hitman novel, 47 is a genetically-enhanced clone and the culmination of decades of secret research into gene augmentation. His creation was funded by a cabal of bald criminal masterminds who donated their own DNA to the project.

In the first Hitman game, five men of various nationalities served in the same unit of the French Foreign Legion. After their stint was finished, four of those men returned to their respective countries and founded their own criminal empires. The remaining one, Dr. Otto Ort-Meyer, ran a mental institution which he used as a cover for genetic experiments. In exchange for research funding, Ort-Meyer provided his former comrades with donor organs harvested from clone bodies, which significantly extended their longevity. In Hitman: Codename 47, each of Ort-Meyer's accomplices are said to be 60–70 years old but appear 10–20 years younger.

The men whose DNA contributed to 47's creation are often referred to within the series as the "Five Fathers", consisting of Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer, Lee Hong, Pablo Ochoa, Franz Fuchs and Arkadij Jegorov. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer is a discredited German scientist living in Romania, whose radical theories were deemed insane by his peers.^[3] Ort-Meyer believed that genetic recombination and human cloning could be used to produce a perfected version of the human species, superior in strength and mind and unburdened by conscience. His ultimate goal, unbeknownst to his associates, was to create an army of flawless and unquestioningly obedient supermen.^[4] When Ort-Meyer's associates become suspicious of his motives, he employs 47 to systematically eliminate each of them. When 47 discovers Ort-Meyer's plans, he manages to eradicate his latest series of clones, known as the Mr. 48s, and snaps Ort-Meyer's neck.

Lee Hong is a Chinese crime lord. Hong eventually rose to the head of the Red Dragon triad, becoming a powerful ganglord in Hong Kong. 47 weakens Hong's influence before assassinating him.

Pablo Belisario Ochoa is a notorious Latin American drug dealer and formed his own drug cartel by violently eliminating his rivals. However, his methods earned him great animosity, and he was eventually forced to flee to a compound deep inside the Colombian rainforest. Pablo appears to be heavily-inspired by fictional character Tony Montana from the film "Scarface".

Franz Fuchs is a former member of the Hitler Youth, apparently resenting the collapse of fascism. He developed a career as a professional terrorist-for-hire, organizing attacks such as the attempted chemical bombing of the G7 leadership. He works closely with his brother and partner, Fritz (therefore making Fritz 47's "uncle"). He also kills Fabian Fuchs, the youngest brother and "uncle". It isn't revealed whether or not Fuchs is based on the real life Franz Fuchs, who was also a terrorist.

The final person who contributed to 47's DNA was Arkadij "Boris" Jegorov. Jegorov was a staunch anti-Communist. Jegorov became a worldwide arms dealer who smuggled weaponry for his older brother, Russian mafia boss Sergei Zavorotko (therefore making him 47's "Uncle").^[5] At the time of his death, he attempted to traffic in nuclear weapons.

Ort-Meyer's research produced many failed attempts and aborted mutants, including Mr. 17, but ultimately he managed to perfect the process enough to produce an assembly line of genetically augmented clones. 47 belonged to Ort-Meyer's fourth series of clones, possessing a 47th chromosome which, combined with DNA harvested from the world's most dangerous criminals, endowed him with levels of strength, speed, stamina, and intelligence significantly above the human norm.

In Hitman: Blood Money, it is explained that American interests had repeatedly attempted to replicate Ort-Meyer's success, but were largely unsuccessful. 47 is the only successful healthy cloned specimen, and nothing has yet come to parallel him; while other attempts have come close, they were plagued by problems such as albinism and extremely short lifespans (eighteen months). Ort-Meyer's research was distributed among many covert cloning labs, but is insufficient; a sample of 47's bone marrow is needed to fill in the DNA gaps, making him an extremely valuable specimen.

Training[link]

Born on 5 September 1964, in Romania and tagged with the identity 640509-040147 on the back of his head, 47 was raised with the other "Series IV" clones by the asylum's staff. From the beginning, Dr. Ort-Meyer identified 47 as his most promising creation. While maturing, 47 was quiet and showed little social behavior, his only display of affection being toward a runaway laboratory rabbit he adopted much to Ort-Meyer's displeasure. 47 also had a fairly negative relationship with the asylum staff, attributed to his chronic uneasiness stemming from his regular medical checkups and frequent injections. On one occasion, 47 stabbed a doctor repeatedly with several needles, prompting Ort-Meyer to increase the personnel assigned to him.

Along with the other clones, 47 was trained from youth to kill efficiently. Instructed in the use of firearms, military and government hardware, and more classic tools of assassination, 47 can wield virtually any weapon with ease. During his training, he was noted for his exceptional marksmanship, as well as for attacking the asylum staff with homemade slingshots, all of which were promptly confiscated.

After 30 years of relentless training under the tutelage of Dr. Ort-Meyer, 47 discovered a gap in the asylum's security. After escaping his cell and killing a security guard, 47 disguised himself in the guard's uniform and escaped from the asylum grounds. Unbeknownst to him, 47's escape was deliberately orchestrated by Ort-Meyer, who concluded that 47's escape into the outside world was the final challenge in his training.

Employment[link]

47 was soon employed by the International Contract Agency, a clandestine organization providing assassination and mercenary services. With a lifetime of training and genetically augmented physical abilities, 47 soon rose to become the Agency's most effective and most requested employee. He retired between the events of Hitman: Codename 47 and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, before later returning to work there. He enjoys his only notable human friendship with his manager-of-sorts, Diana. After the events of Hitman: Contracts, which makes the I.C.A. much less powerful, 47 briefly threatens to find a new employer. He continues with the I.C.A. until the events of Hitman: Blood Money, in which the organization is momentarily destroyed, loses all assassins, and 47 falsely believes Diana betrayed him and tried to kill him. At the end of the game, the I.C.A. returns to power, though Diana admits to a client of royalty that she currently cannot provide 47's services, and has "completely lost track of him". The last scene of the game shows 47 walking into an illegal-activity Chinese business, using a fake name and asking what they have to sell, "preferably in the back".

Personality[link]

47 is an introverted character who almost always speaks in a calm, formal manner in his natural setting. He is never heard swearing.

He has one minor exception in one of the final cutscenes in Hitman: Blood Money, where he shouted 'bitch' at Diana when she injected him from behind with a syringe.

One of his mottos appears to have become "trust no one." He once demonstrated a high degree of devotion to Father Vittorio, the Sicilian priest who gave him shelter in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, going so far as to rescue Vittorio from the Russian mafia even though there was no monetary reward in it (in fact, according to Vittorio, 47 donated a large percentage of his earnings from Hitman: Codename 47 to the Catholic Church). In the end, 47's work spilled over into the Sicilian church, prompting him to sever his ties with it and become a nomad once more. 47 places a significant measure of trust in his Agency contact and liaison, Diana Burnwood. She is the one character in the whole game series that 47 has constant contact with. As a rule, however, they never meet face-to-face unless absolutely necessary, especially during a mission.^[6]

On rare occasions, 47 can also show a warm side to his personality. When being raised by Dr. Ort-Meyer, he befriended a rabbit.^[7] A recurring character in the series with whom he has shown considerable forbearance is Lei Ling (renamed to "Mei Ling" in Hitman: Silent Assassin), rescuing her from sex slavery in the first game in exchange for a safe combination. The player can optionally rescue her again from exactly the same situation in the sequel, although in return he gets a keycard. In two other levels in the same sequel, the player can optionally rescue a prisoner being beaten by a couple of guards (in return, the prisoner tells 47 the location of his target) and a German ambassador about to be killed by a Spetsnaz agent. In Hitman: Blood Money, 47 picks up a small canary during his travels. However, he later kills the canary to silence it when he hears an intruder approaching his position and does not show remorse afterwards.

Morality[link]

Agent 47 is an anti-hero. His profession requires him to perform deeds that can be considered immoral by most standards. However, his targets often consist of people who surround or have surrounded themselves in immoral activities. In this sense, he becomes the hero by delivering 'justice' to the individuals who are either too powerful or well connected to be judged by the law. In the trailer of Hitman film, he is described as a "necessary evil".

47 will kill anyone he has been assigned to assassinate without any hesitation and with no exceptions. However, he has been known to spare individuals whom he has not been specifically ordered to kill (a few cutscenes in Hitman: Contracts show him knocking out rather than killing various henchmen and bystanders), and even to occasionally offer assistance to those in need. However, he has also demonstrated a willingness to kill innocents if they pose a liability. In Hitman: Blood Money, the game shows a more brutal 47. 47 murders an innocent mailman due to the CODE RED scribbled on the package (this scene is ambiguous, as it seems that 47 may have had reasons to distrust the mailman or even to suspect him of being a threat disguised as a humble mailman). Blood Money's final mission also shows 47 executing an innocent priest and a reporter, both of whom knew his identity (besides, given the circumstances, it was impossible for him to know they were not hostile). Also when Diana states she doesn't have long to live, he gives his apology before calmly asking if she has his payment. The younger 47 was shown to be less violent, having befriended a rabbit. Though it is up to the player to decide how 47 will accomplish the missions he is given, the games generally encourage discretion; the more silent and unobtrusive the player is, the higher the reward.

In Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, 47 confesses his sins to Father Vittorio, and performs an act of Catholic symbolism by making the Sign of the Cross before performing his first hit after coming out from retirement. His confession to Father Vittorio in the opening sequence hints that Agent 47 is not entirely devoid of a conscience.^[8]

Abilities and reputation[link]

While not quite superhuman, 47's physical capabilities are at the peak of human performance. Thanks to his training and genetic augmentation, 47 is proficient with all types of firearms, and has nearly perfect accuracy, his aim limited only by the mechanical inaccuracies inherent in the weapon he is using. He is also capable of operating most types of vehicles, from automobiles to aircraft. Additionally, 47 is very resourceful, able to disguise himself in multiple settings and use his environment to perform his assignments without drawing attention.

47's enhanced DNA also allows him to remain perfectly calm in any situation. He never shows any signs of fear or anxiety even when completely surrounded by enemies. This trait allows him to effectively disguise himself and enter restricted areas without raising any suspicion from nearby guards, even when they already suspect someone may have infiltrated their ranks. 47 never shows any positive emotions during the course of the series and has only displayed anger once in the entire series (towards Diana in Hitman: Blood Money in one of the final cutscenes).

Due to his successful track record, 47 is usually given the Agency's largest and most difficult assignments. 47 completes all of his assignments with unwavering accuracy, fulfilling all of his objectives and always eliminating his targets without hesitation. 47's stealth and cunning are legendary; he is regarded by the world as an urban legend, and few even know of his appearance. The degree of 47's professionalism is such that in the trailer sequence that plays on the title screen of Blood Money, the speaker states that once a client has contracted 47 to perform an assassination, he cannot be called off and will fulfill the contract through to the end even if the client changes their mind, meaning that the client must be absolutely certain of their desire to have the contract fulfilled before they contact The Agency and request 47.

In film[link]

In the 2007 Hitman feature film, Agent 47 is portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. His backstory differs significantly from that of the video game; it is stated that the organization he works for (renamed to International Contract Organization) uses and trains orphans and rejects, who are considered 'expendable', into professional assassins. 47 is considered the best of them. 47's personality is generally consistent with the games as he displays the same dedication to killing his targets, a tendency to favor stealth over brute force (where appropriate), and willingness to eliminate innocents when necessary. As in the games, he is very calm under pressure. He also demonstrates compassion in his protection of a woman named Nika, as well as sparing Interpol agent Mike Whittier, despite Whittier having seen his face. A sequel is in the works, set to release in 2012, with Timothy Olyphant rumored to reprise his role as Agent 47.^[9]

Reception[link]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it.

References[link]

Source links[link]

• Eidos Interactive
• Official Hitman Blood Money site

External links[link]

• Official Hitman: Codename 47 website
• Official Hitman 2: Silent Assassin website
• Official Hitman: Contracts website
• Official Hitman: Blood Money website